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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. cell — in biology
  4. march — music
  5. march — the month
  6. spring — a coil
  7. cell — a phone
  8. fine — high quality
  9. spring — of water
  10. content — happy
  11. spring — the season
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. land — to come down
  16. land — a country
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. land — ground
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. content — the amount
  21. fine — all right
  22. vault — a safe
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. march — the month

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com